


To the Ends of the Earth and Back (But Not That Far)

by yorkisms



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 5 + 1 Things, I can't stop writing character studies of Mettaton and Alphys the legend, I like to think that this isn't exactly kind to either of them, Other, Relationship Study, arguments galore, eventual forgiveness, hurt comfort, until the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-03 19:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5304785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorkisms/pseuds/yorkisms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alphys and Mettaton fight. Over bodies, over stardom, over humans and pretending to kill them. Their relationship gets generally worse. </p>
<p>They wonder how they got here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fragmentary

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself a promise that I wouldn't upload a chapter fic unless I had all the chapters written first. At least I'm keeping my promise. 
> 
> I feel like this gets better around the middle of the chapters. Oh well.
> 
> Capitalizing Asgore is a stylistic thing and I don't know why I tried it.
> 
>  
> 
> _I don't know where to begin_  
>  There's too many things that I can't remember  
> As I disappeared like a trend  
> In the hum of the 5 in the early morning  
> And now I'm taking my time  
> Up through Coalinga through the valley  
> This highway lived in my mind  
> It takes me back to the place that made me.

Alphys makes a promise. She offers the unsatisfied little ghost from Waterfall a robot body, a humanoid one, so that he can live his dreams. She swears to him that she won't take advantage of him, won't make him a curiosity, a project, a thing. 

Alphys finishes her first draft, so to speak, of  Mettaton  within a few weeks. It's fairly simple for her, nothing she can't do. She immediately calls him. He sounds excited- and surprised- over the phone. ("Alphys, darling, are you sure? You work so fast! I can't wait to see it!") But he looks much less excited when he lays eyes on it. 

"M- Mettaton ?" Alphys says. "What do you think?"

The ghost frowns. "Alphys, it looks barely human." 

"W-Well, I get that it looks like a rectangle and all, a-and it doesn't have any legs, b-but..."

"But what, Alphys?" He pauses. "It looks...nothing like what you said!"

"I-I don't have enough money,  Mettaton , a-and even if we did I don't know if you could actually...interact with...a body like that! This is the best I can make you?"

"What can we do?"

"What?"

"What can we do to get you more money. I want the body you promised me, Alphys."

"Well...we could ask  ASGORE ...show him y-your entertainment skills and tell him we could make a robot with a soul..."

"Oh,"  Mettaton  says in a hard tone, frowning deeper. " _ ASGORE _ . "

"W-What's wrong with that? H-He is the king, he can give us the money we need-"

"Alphys. Alphys, Alphys, Alphys." If  Mettaton  had hands he would be rubbing his temples. "We could get money from almost anything else. And you're immediately asking me to play  _ court jester _  to  ASGORE ? Don't get me wrong, I think  ASGORE  is a good man, but-" he sighed. "You're using me to impress him, darling. And I thought I wouldn't be your science fair project. But we were supposed to be equals."

Alphys looks disappointed. "Do...do you really think that of me? I'm trying to help you,  Mettaton . I-I can't make you a perfect body with scraps from the dump, I-I really can't. I'm not a miracle worker, and I told you I'd need your help. Please help me appeal to  ASGORE  using this body."

Mettaton  looks down at the rectangular shape, feeling a mix of want and revulsion. He wants nothing more than to have a body. Just...a better one. 

"I'll do it." 

In a sense, he immediately regrets saying that, but one body is better than  no body , even if  Mettaton  likes to perform on his own terms. He doesn't like feeling like he's dancing because someone is shooting at his feet. But what is he willing to sacrifice for the final body Alphys has promised him?

He already answered with a value when he left Waterfall for good: everything. 


	2. Riven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mettaton wants Alphys to make good on her promise. She's not feeling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked at the rest of it and I thought, "Fuck it, I'll post the second chapter right now."
> 
> _You cannot outrun a ghost_  
>  Speeding south bound lanes with abandon  
> It catches you on the coast  
> Where on the cliffs of the Palisades, you killed the engine 

Mettaton  grows ever more impatient and ever more dramatic once  ASGORE  makes Alphys royal scientist. Alphys made him a promise, he thinks, and then she said she needed his help getting the means to fulfill it. So he helped. Now it's her turn. 

Mettaton forces the door to Alphys' lab open, the sound of it banging loudly echoes in the lab's large rooms. 

"ALPHYS!"

There's no response. Mettaton zips around the lab on his wheel, banging open every door he can reach until he finds Alphys. She's in her room, eating instant noodles and watching some trashy anime Mettaton can't be bothered with. 

"Alphys, darling, didn't you hear me yell?"

She looks tired and generally awful, so Mettaton feels a twinge of guilt for what he's about to do. He presses on anyway. 

"N-No." 

"Alphys, how's my body coming?"

Alphys looks surprised, then guilty. "Oh, u-um..." 

Mettaton's display flashes red. Alphys flinches. 

"Alphyyys!"

Alphys buries her face in the noodles. 

"This body is surprisingly good, I'll grant it, but..." His voice trails off. 

"I know," Alphys says slowly. Her voice is monotone. "You want the one I promised you."

"Exactly!" Mettaton says, choosing not to read the situation. Alphys understands, doesn't she? "I've wanted this my whole life, Alphys."

"You've mentioned that."

"Please," Mettaton says finally. "Alphys."

"I-I'll get it to you. I-I can finish it."

Mettaton is angry- he can tell when Alphys is lying, or at least telling a half-truth- but he lets it drop. Is that a mistake? Maybe. 

Only half a year ago he would have sat down net to her and asked what she was watching, maybe what was bothering her? But this time he wheels out, closing the door on his way. 

He's not in the mood to watch some cartoon at the moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _And then it hovers above_  
>  Reeling bodies failing to discover  
> The thing they once knew as love  
> Raising their voices to convince one another 


	3. Slivered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore. ... except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore... then we'll never be friends ever again. ... not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty..." --entry in the true lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much interaction that I like in this chapter. I'm pleased with this one (I feel like this is where my writing got better.)
> 
> _Was I in your way_  
>  When the cameras turned to face you?  
> No room in frame  
> For two? 

Alphys regrets making the face first. 

She regrets it because he stares at her with his SOUL-less eyes whenever she walks by her workbench, reminding her that she's breaking her promise to her friend. Or ex-friend. Whatever they are now. 

She puts the  bust  of  Mettaton  in a drawer, but that doesn't feel right either. So she lets it watch her instead, feeling her sins crawling on her back.

Mettaton  comes in one day, unexpectedly, when she can't hide it in advance. He loves it, unsurprisingly. He spends half an hour telling her what he loves about it- then he lifts the hair.

"It's not finished?"

"Oh...well, no. I keep trying to figure out what to do with that side."

"Just make it look like the other,"  Mettaton  says. "It's a beautiful face. 

"Well...I might give it some special features, cause of the hair..."

"Oh? What sort of features?"

Alphys  shrugs helplessly. 

If a rectangle can frown,  Mettaton  does. 

"Alphy, come on..."

"I know," Alphys says, looking away from him.  Mettaton  frowns harder.

"Alphys-"

"Can you just-- NOT, Metta!" Alphys yells. Surprise flashes on  Mettaton's  screen. 

"Fine,"  Mettaton  says, exasperated. "I'll come back later, Alphy. Maybe you'll make actual progress by then."

After he leaves, Alphys desperately wants to take her sledgehammer and slam it into  Mettaton's  perfectly designed face.    


Somehow, she can't do it. Instead, she just sits next to the bench  Mettaton's  torso is on, and cries. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _How can I stay_  
>  In the sun  
> When the rain flows  
> All through my veins  
> It's true... 


	4. Ruptured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something changes. Suddenly, there's a child. And not just any child.  
> A human one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _And I guess it's not a failure we could help_  
>  And we'll both go on to get lonely with someone else  
> With someone else. 

"Metta, oh my god, there's a human," Alphys says, her words coming out in a rush. Mettaton looks surprised, wheeling himself over to Alphys' screens. 

"You're serious!" His screen lights up. "Alphy, this is amazing! A real human!" 

Alphys looks downcast suddenly. 

"But ASGORE..." 

"We'll just have to see how they do!" Mettaton says cheerfully, as if Asgore wouldn't kill the child anyway. 

Mettaton makes popcorn and plugs himself in, and they both watch the human adventure for hours, until they reach midway through waterfall. Alphys looks at Mettaton. This is the closest they've been in almost a year. 

"Metta?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you want to be part of this human's story?" 

A question mark flashed on Mettaton's screen. "What do you mean?" 

"Well...I mean...help them! Maybe keep them from ASGORE!" Alphys looks excited by the idea. Mettaton leans forwards. 

"What did you have in mind?" 

"Maybe...you could, um...pretend to be their enemy?" 

"Come again?" 

"Y-Yeah! You already helped Papyrus in Snowdin! Just like what Papyrus and Undyne have done." 

"What do I need with a human, Alphy? They're the most beautiful species. Killing one, especially a child, would be a crime." 

"It's just acting!" Alphys insists. Mettaton looks upset. 

"Mettaton, if you do it, I can finish your body." 

Mettaton looks hopeful. "You can?" 

"Yeah! Mettaton Ex. I-I'll do it if you help me, okay? That's fair." 

Mettaton circles Alphys in a pacing manner. "You want me to try and kill a human?" 

"Pretend to-" 

He looks unhappy with the situation, and it makes Alphys feel a pang of guilt. But then, the idea that she could maybe get someone to stay with her- the human?- overrides whatever friendship remains. 

"Alphys, I don't want to do that." 

"Do you want Ex, or not?" 

Mettaton's fans hum a while. 

"Yes, Alphys. I want Ex." 

Alphys put out one hand. Mettaton, practically against his will, shook. 

The deal was set.


	5. Burst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mettaton tells half-truths. Constantly. To everyone. But he's never straight-up lied to Alphys. 
> 
> Until now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was busy not doing my homework, then I realized I could update this instead.
> 
> IT'S ALMOST DONE, KIDS. What's next? Maybe more short pieces, maybe a long-term AU. If you'd like to see my two long piece ideas (underfits and grimmtale), talk to me at mttbrand-suffering on tumblr. 
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy the rest of the ride.
> 
> _Was I in your way_  
>  When the cameras turned to face you?  
> No room in frame  
> For two? 

"Alphys," Mettaton began, "I don't like what we're doing. It's dishonest and it's- well, the human doesn't know it’s a game and we wouldn't let them die."

"It'll be fine!" Alphys said, "I'll step in if it gets serious!" 

Mettaton frowned- now a complete possibility, since Alphys was installing his Ex form. 

"I know you will, but still- the human is nice, but if I were them I would have killed a long time ago. Who's to say they won't-"

"They can't kill you, Metta! Your soul-"

"That's...not true."

"Do you think you could come out of there?"

"Not if I'm about to be killed!" 

"Can't you try?"

"I need time to unbond from this body, Alphys, I can't do it in a second! And if I don't get out of this body I'll die."

"How much time do you need?"

"At least a minute, maybe three." 

"Then I'll buy you the time." 

"How?"

"I don't know, I'll do it!"

A plan begins to form in Mettaton's anger and frustration. It is a death risk, but it's going to be worth every minute. He's going to get his body. 

"There's one thing I need to fix," Alphys says, "It's the battery. I-I...I have some ideas, but I can't make any of them work right now. We don't have time."

"It's fine, Alphy," Mettaton says, stretching. "I'm not going to use Ex."

It's the first time he's lied to her face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _How can I stay_  
>  In the sun  
> When the rain flows  
> All through my veins  
> It's true. 


	6. Complete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys looks into the SOUL-less eyes of Mettaton EX's face again. 
> 
> Except this time, Mettaton's not out there running around in a different body. This time, he's trapped inside this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the last chapter. It's done. It's done. 
> 
> _And I guess it's not a failure we could help  
>  And we'll both go on to be lonely with someone else..._

Alphys feels incredibly guilty as she strings up  Mettaton's  torso, leaving his limbs on her work bench. He's been plugged back in, and should be booting up soon.  Mettaton's  eyes flicker, Light Emitting Diodes turning pink and circling in his irises. 

_ Loading... _

" Mettaton ? Are you  all right ? Please," Alphys almost starts to cry looking at  Mettaton  Ex's still face. "I'm sorry..."

"Alphy?" 

His voice is slow and plagued with glitches. The battle had done a number on his voice box. Alphys lets out a sigh of relief. 

"O-Okay, oh god, I thought you-"

Alphys is cut off by  Mettaton  leaning his head down as best he can in imitation of a hug. 

"Alphy, I'm sorry too." 

"I..."

"I was such an ass to you, sweetheart. Can you ever forgive me?"

Alphys wipes her eyes. "Let's focus on getting your arms and legs back on, huh, Metta?"

She picks up one arm and begins to match up the wires. "...b-but you know...I think I can."

Mettaton sighs , relieved. "Can we start over?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean start over. With a clean slate...sort of. Not to forget what happened, but to try and move past it. Am I being clear, darling?"

"Don't worry, you are." Alphys actually smiles a bit. "So, after we finish, since we're starting over, have you seen Mew  Mew  Kissy Cutie?"

"ALPHYS!"

"You'll need to charge while I fix your battery to make it more efficient, so you're stuck here~!"

"Alphyyys, anime is garbaaaage!"  Mettaton  tries to squirm, but Alphys puts one hand on his chest. "Stop moving, or it'll be really hard to reconnect your arms." 

Mettaton  holds still. "Fine, fine."

"I'll fix your battery after you watch Mew  Mew  Kissy Cutie."

"Fine."

"Maybe, since we're starting over, you'll have a new opinion of anime!"

"What are the odds,"  Mettaton  says sarcastically. 

They are quiet a while as Alphys fuses his circuits back together, then blowtorches his arm back onto his body. 

"There, try and move it."

Mettaton  curls his fingers and rotates his arm. "That's better."

"Three to go," Alphys says.

"Alphys, I've been a terrible friend."

"So have I."

"We both have." 

Alphys picks up the second arm. 

"Alphy?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I forgive you, too."

Alphys pauses, not trusting herself to fix  Mettaton's  wires with the amount of tears in her eyes. 

"You shouldn't say that."

"Whyever not?"

"I'm not the good person you think I am. There's things I haven't told you, that I did, for  ASGORE , a-and I hurt people..."

"And I'm not the person everyone thinks I am,"  Mettaton  says. "Good person or not, you're my friend. So I forgive you. And whatever you did for  ASGORE , I forgive you for that, too." 

Alphys pauses again, her hands still on  Mettaton's  wires. 

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _...with someone else._

**Author's Note:**

>  _Was I in your way_  
>  When the cameras turned to face you?  
> No room in frame  
> For two?


End file.
